Department of the Languages and Cultures of Japan and Korea

BA Japanese Studies and ...

duration:

3 years

Fees 2017/18

UK/EU fees:

£9,250

Overseas fees:

£16,575

Fees for 2017/18 entrants. The fees are per academic year. Please note that fees go up each year.Further details can be found in the Fees and Funding tab on this page or in the Registry Undergraduate Tuition Fees page

2017 Entry requirements

No preliminary knowledge of the language is required.

Subjects Preferred: A foreign language at A level, or equivalent, is desirable but not essential.

Interview Policy: In principle all mature students, and all Japanese nationals and all students one of whose parents is Japanese are invited for interview.

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Overview

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Structure

Teaching and Learning

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Overview

Mode of Attendance: Full-time

This is a three-years degree taught entirely at SOAS (it does not include a year of study in Japan), and requires less intensive study of the Japanese language than the BA Japanese – a smaller number of language classes can be taken at various levels of proficiency from pure beginner to very advanced.

The degree provides wide-ranging coverage of disciplines taught by specialists in the Japan section (pre-modern and modern literature, theoretical and applied linguistics, history, religion, media studies and popular culture), and allows access to the disciplinary expertise of other Japan-related specialists across the school. It therefore enables students to structure their course of study with great flexibility, to develop their own individual interests.

The BA Japanese Studies degree is available as a single subject and joint subject degree.

In the final year, single–subject students write an Independent Study Project based on in-depth study in one of many possible fields using Japanese language sources.

Structure

Degree programmes at SOAS - including this one - can include language courses in more than forty African and Asian languages. It is SOAS students’ command of an African or Asian language which sets SOAS apart from other universities.

Year 1

Core Unit

Core modules must be passed in order to progress to the following year of study.

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Teaching and Learning

Teaching & Learning

NB: The following courses can be taken as options in the 3rd year subject to prerequisites.

Ethnography of Japan: the prerequisite for this course is “Introduction to Social Anthropology” (Anthropology & Sociology Dept), which students can take as an option in year 2. See the Anthropology & Sociology Departments’s website for options required in the joint degree.

Economic Development of Modern Japan since 1868: prerequisites are either; Intermediate Economic Analysis or Economics of Developing Countries I (to be taken in year 2). See the Economics’ department website for options required in joint degrees.

Music of East Asia: the prerequisites are; GCSE Music or Grade 5, or clear evidence of performance skills

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As a student specialising in the languages and cultures of Japan, you will gain competency in language skills and intercultural awareness and understanding. Familiarity with the region will have been developed through a combination of the study of language, literature and culture (which can include literature, film, music, art and religion) of various parts of Japan.

Graduates leave SOAS not only with linguistic and cultural expertise, but also with a portfolio of widely transferable skills which employers seek in many professional and management careers in both business and the public sector. These include written and oral communication skills, attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to research, amass and order information from a variety of sources.

Choosing to study a joint degree programme will increase the breadth of your knowledge, and will develop additional skills with which to further your studies of Japan, or to make comparative study with other areas. Japanese Studies may be combined with a huge range of other disciplines. For more information on the extra skills you will gain from your second subject, please see the relevant departmental page.

A Student's Perspective

I really enjoyed the intimate atmosphere of SOAS and the chance to learn just as much from my fellow students as from my lecturers. I also really enjoyed how open and helpful the lecturers were, and was grateful to learn that they honestly cared about my progress in their course. I always felt supported during my time at SOAS.